[Henry Layard 01] • The Sleeping Sands

To escape his humdrum London existence, Henry Layard has undertaken a dangerous overland journey. On the way, he has agreed to carry out a mission for a shadowy organisation. With every step further from the familiar salons of his indomitable aunt Sarah and scheming uncle, William, Layard must abandon friends, western ideals and even his sense of self in order to survive an alien and terrifying world.

Death stalks his heels. A terrible act of injustice has awakened an ancient, implacable force. Layard finds himself plunged into a world where myths, nightmares and modern monsters come crashing together. Discovering friendship where he least suspects, Layard must fight alongside a wild hill-tribe against a deadly foe. All the while, the attentions of foreign powers are drawn towards Layard’s mission – leading to a bloody finale.

A fast-paced tale of the Great Game, the Sleeping Sands is enthralling, mystical, comic and terrifying by turn.

With larger-than-life characters, grisly murders, monsters, cliff-hanger suspense, desperate midnight rides, plagues, bandits and battles, the Sleeping Sands is a good old-fashioned romp of an adventure story, in the tradition of Rider Haggard and Karl May - but with a twist. A gothic fantasy of the 1840s that combines moments of black humour and dark terror, while offering some chilling contemporary echoes.